Many Opportunities to Help Shape Langley City’s Future This Fall

For many folks, school is back in session, and summer holidays are becoming memories. Langley City Council is back into full gear with our first Council meeting after the August break on Monday.

There are many exciting initiatives in the City that you can participate in this fall, which will help shape the direction of our community for years to come.

Langley City’s Citizens’ Assembly on Community Safety has been meeting since March. Our Citizens’ Assembly is a form of direct democracy where community members were selected via a lottery system and to reflect the demographic makeup of our community. They will be making recommendations to Council this fall on actions we should take to continue improving safety in our community. Their recommendations are created by the Citizens’ Assembly members, not City staff or Council, although they are supported by data, experts, and facilitators. They will be hosting a Community Dialogue shortly, open to anyone.

Langley City is making needed investments in our community as part of the Invest Langley City vision. Some key aspects of the vision that require input from our community include a new performing arts centre, an expanded Timms Community Centre, and an indoor aquatic facility. Your feedback on these facilities will be crucial in informing how these projects can move forward.

Langley City is developing a new transportation plan and an on-street parking management plan. Further community feedback will be required for these two plans.

I know that the City will be working on other plans and strategies that are equally important, but have a more narrow focus, such as the Glover Road/KPU Innovation District plan. I wanted to highlight the plans that will have a community-wide impact.

There is a whole lot happening, but there is one easy way to ensure that you don’t miss an opportunity to contribute, and that is by heading over to Let’s Chat, Langley City! Your feedback is taken seriously and helps shape the City’s plans and strategies. If you always want to stay up to date, you can join the Let’s Chat, Langley City mailing list.

Upcoming Coffee with Langley City Councillors

Langley City Councillors will be hosting two “Coffee with Council” events at Station Cafe at Timms Community Centre on Saturday, September 6th and Saturday, September 20th from 10am to Noon.

This is a low-key, drop-in event where you can grab a coffee and a light snack, and engage in conversation with Langley City Councillors. For more information, please check out Langley City’s website.

Understanding the Hidden Meaning in Langley City’s Coat of Arms

Every so often, the Mayor’s Office gets a request for an official Langley City pin, which is the City’s Coat of Arms. We recently got a request, and it got me thinking. I was looking back through my past blog posts, and while I had previously posted about the City’s logo, which was updated in 2017, I had never actually written about the Coat of Arms and what it represents. Langley City is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, a perfect time to learn about our Coat of Arms.

The Langley City pin. While the pin says “City of Langley,” the actual motto is “Strength of Purpose, Spirit of Community.”

Langley City’s Coat of Arms was granted and is registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority, which is a service of the Governor General of Canada. The practice of officially granting and recording Coats of Arms dates back to the Middle Ages. Until 1988, they were granted by the Sovereign (King/Queen or their representative) in Canada. Coats of Arms are used as official identity marks, and they were traditionally used for sealing legal documents, although this practice is no longer in use today.

Coats of Arms convey a great deal of information through their design. So what do all the symbols and designs in Langley City’s Coat of Arms mean?

The arms or shield symbolize the crossroads of Yale Road (Fraser Highway), Glover Road, and the BC Electric Railway. The blue star of Innes in the centre of the shield represented “Innes Corners,” which was the original name of the crossroad and is named after Adam Innes, one of the original settlers in Langley Prairie. This is why the Coat of Arms is painted into the middle of the intersection of Fraser Highway and Glover Road/204th Street at the entrance of the Fraser Highway One-Way. You can learn more about this history in my video, The History of Langley City: Part 1.

The crest or top combines the rural coronet (small crown), which is the traditional emblem for municipal governments, with maple leaves for Canada and dogwoods for British Columbia. The canoe is a reference to the McMillan Expedition of 1824, which went through Portage Park in Langley City and led to the founding of Fort Langley. There is a plaque in Portage Park that shares the story of this expedition. The lion on the coat of arms is the Scots heraldic symbol for McMillan. The lion also symbolizes the determination of citizens to defend the City’s interests, which is why it is holding the flag.

The compartments or bottom blue and white bars symbolize the Nicomekl River, with the grass and lilies representing nature.

The elk represents nature and the land. The elk is wearing a medallion with wheat sheaves. This is a reference to Langley City’s original name, “Langley Prairie.”

The horse represents agriculture and industry. The horse is wearing a medallion with a cog wheel and a gold coin. The gold coin is a traditional symbol of commerce. The Fraser Highway One-Way was the original centre of commerce for Langley.

Coats of Arms are packed with a lot of meaning and tradition, including Langley City’s.

Extended Pool Season at Al Anderson!

It’s Labour Day this long weekend, which is always a bit bittersweet. Of course, it is the day to celebrate the recognition of unions in Canada and their fight for workers’ rights, such as the eight-hour workday. It is also the last long weekend for many people before returning to school for themselves or their children. In Langley City, it was also the last weekend that the Al Anderson Memorial Pool was open for the season, but this has now changed!

This year (and going forward), Langley City Council approved extending the pool season until the end of September. This means more swimming lessons, more public swims, and more lane swims, which means we can keep the summer vibes going a bit longer! You can also take advantage of the loonie/toonie swim on Sunday evenings.

The new fall pool schedule is available on Langley City’s website.

On the topic of learning how to swim, the City always has and continues to encourage the use of public swim times to build that skill. More specifically, parents and guardians are welcome and encouraged to work with their children on their swimming development during public swim times.

Of course, during formal swimming lesson times, paid, structured instruction by outside instructors isn’t permitted due to safety, liability, and facility policies. These lessons must be delivered by the City.

Fundraiser for Ron Care Society

A few weeks ago, before I went on holiday, I ran into Ron Bergen in Downtown Langley. He is an advocate for people with disablity, HandyDART, and transit. He is also one of the few people who regularly attends Langley City Council meetings. Ron is also the founder and president of the Ron Care Society, which provides care kits that include personal hygiene products for seniors, newcomers, low-income families, and individuals experiencing homelessness.

The Ron Cares Society is hosting its first fundraising event, “Harvest Time Gathering Fundraiser,” on September 18th at Backyard Vineyards. Tickets are $100 each. You can learn more about this event on the Ron Cares website.

As part of the event, they will also be hosting a silent auction and a live auction, and are looking for people who might be able to donate items for the auctions. If you are able to donate items, you can email info@roncares.ca.

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Overdose Awareness Day in Douglas Park on Sunday

If you walk through Douglas Park, you’ll notice little purple flags. These flags denote the lives lost due to overdoses in Langley. Overdoses and overdose-related deaths are unfortunately widespread. If you haven’t been impacted, you likely know someone who has been. While many people link overdoses and people who are experiencing homelessness, overdoses primarily impact young men who have a job and housing. Many people don’t talk about their struggles with problematic substance use because they feel judged.

My dad, who has since passed (not due to overdosing), injured himself and started a long and problematic relationship with opioids, including overdosing. It impacted our family. He was eventually able to get help and put on a methadone maintenance treatment program.

Sadly, there are still significant gaps when it comes to preventing overdoses in this province.

August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day. It is an opportunity to remember all those impacted by overdoses, come together to support each other, and also acts as a call to action to reduce overdoses.

An Overdose Awareness Day event will take place in Douglas Park on Sunday, August 31, 2025, starting at 6:30 pm. A candlelight vigil will take place at 8:30 pm.

There will be resource tents, performers, and speeches. The Lions Club will also host a BBQ that begins at 6:00 pm.

2025 Data Shows Langley City has the Third Lowest Property Taxes & Utility Fees for Detached Homes in Metro Vancouver

When people look at their property tax bill, it contains charges from the province, School Board, TransLink, Metro Vancouver Regional District, and their municipality.

In some municipalities, you get a combined property tax and utility bill (water, sewer, garbage), such as in Langley City. In other municipalities, you get separate property tax and utility bills.

When you see reports about municipal taxation, you’ll hear a lot about property tax increases as a percentage. This isn’t very useful as it doesn’t actually capture what the bottom line is that people pay.

Every municipality has different needs based on the desires of local residents, which means they will have different levels of taxation. Because it can be useful to compare municipal tax rates, the provincial government releases an annual “Taxes & Charges on a Representative House” report which compares the “all in” taxes and fees for an average-priced detached home in each municipality. Langley City is a bit of an exception, as we have close to 80% of households living in attached homes (apartments and townhouses). However, in most parts of BC, the detached home is the most common form of housing.

The province recently released its 2025 data. You can download the full dataset from the provincial government's website, but I thought it would be interesting to show the “all in” value for all municipalities in Metro Vancouver.

Municipalities	Typical Detached House Value	Total Residential Property Taxes and Charges
Port Coquitlam	$1,455,127	$6,457
Pitt Meadows	$1,184,823	$6,721
Langley City	$1,369,186	$6,977
Langley Township	$1,511,423	$7,021
Delta	$1,491,495	$7,176
Surrey	$1,709,547	$7,510
Coquitlam	$1,789,496	$8,000
Burnaby	$2,157,640	$8,051
Maple Ridge	$1,282,828	$8,380
North Vancouver City	$2,110,967	$8,547
Richmond	$2,050,462	$8,624
North Vancouver District	$2,277,299	$9,300
Port Moody	$1,912,333	$9,315
White Rock	$2,032,064	$9,687
Belcarra	$2,001,564	$10,547
Vancouver	$2,678,306	$10,811
Bowen Island	$1,633,484	$11,055
New Westminster	$1,639,283	$11,548
Lions Bay	$2,253,369	$11,610
Anmore	$2,533,798	$12,028
West Vancouver	$3,676,139	$13,721

I wanted to call out that New Westminster is higher in part because they also have their own electrical utility, while the rest of us are on BC Hydro. I also wanted to call out that while the province doesn’t provide the typical “all-in” value for attached housing, Langley City normally does. We don’t have 2025 data yet, but we typically have the lowest or second-lowest in the region. I expect this to be maintained in 2025.

Vacation Alert

I will be taking some time off and will be back blogging on Monday, August 25th.

The History of Langley City: Part 1

Have you ever wondered why Langley City feels like a crossroads? Or why many of the roads don’t run perfectly north/south or east/west? Or why Portage Park is called Portage Park and Glover Road is where it is? Or even how Langley City came to be?,/p.

Langley City, formerly known as Langley Prairie, has a rich history of connection. The prairie was always a crossroads for travellers. From First Nations Portages, to gold smugglers, old railways, and the Micahuds. Langley City is a story of connection and the quest for independence with the famous saying, “not a nickel for street lights!”

TRAILER - The History of Langley City: Part 1

Why does Michaud Crescent exist? Who is Innes, and why do we care about his corners? What’s with our road system? Where did people party at the turn of the 20th Century? And how did a random trip down the road lead to the eventual creation of Langley City?

Find out in “The History of Langley City: Part 1”. Coming Soon!

Walking and Transit Trips Up in Langley City. Exploring How People Get Around in Metro Vancouver.

When people examine how folks move around in our region, they typically refer to data from Statistics Canada. Unfortunately, this data only examines how people travel to their place of work. This is why, approximately every half-decade, TransLink commissions trip diaries, which provide a sample of all trip types people take throughout Metro Vancouver.

Metro Vancouver Regional District staff have recently created maps to look at the changes between TransLink’s 2017 and 2023 trip diaries for walking and transit trips.

With the exception of West Vancouver, walking trips are up throughout the region. Port Moody, Pitt Meadows, and Langley City have all seen a doubling of walking trips between 2017 and 2023. In Langley City, approximately 14% of all trips originating in Langley City were made on foot in 2023. For trips that stayed within Langley City, about 32% were walking trips.

Change in the number of walking trips between 2017 and 2023 across the region. Select the map to enlarge.

While overall transit ridership remained flat between 2017 and 2023, the following map shows that there has generally been a decline in transit trips in the western part of our region, whereas in the eastern part of our region, transit trips are significantly up. In fact, Langley City saw the largest growth in transit trips within the region between 2017 and 2023. In 2023, approximately 3% of all trips originating in Langley City were made by transit.

Change in the number of trips made on transit between 2017 and 2023. Select the map to enlarge.

In Metro Vancouver, the number of overall trips made by bike increased, while trips by automobile decreased between 2017 and 2023. For more information, please visit TransLink’s 2023 Trip Diary dashboard.

VIDEO: Langley City’s Crime Severity Index and Total Crime Rate at Lowest Level in Over 25 Years

As I mentioned last week, there is good news regarding the crime statistics in Langley City. Over the last five years, the overall crime rate has decreased by 40% and the Crime Severity Index has decreased by 50%.

At the same time, people are still calling the police. The number of police “files” or service calls is steady at around 12,000 annually in Langley City, with a peak of 12,676 in 2022 and a low of 11,703 in 2020, about a 7% difference. In 2024, the number of “files” was 11,997, which is about a 5% difference from the peak.

For all suspicious activity that is not an emergency, you can call the non-emergency police line at 604-532-3200 or use the online crime reporting tool.

Langley City’s Social Streets - Neighbourhood Party

Last week, Langley City held its first Social Streets event at Linwood Park. This was a casual drop-in event for people to hang out, get to know their neighbours, enjoy some low-key, family-friendly music, free food, and live entertainment.

People were dancing, relaxing in their lawn chairs, and enjoying a chef's cooking demo.

There are two other neighbourhood-scale Social Streets events scheduled to take place in about a month, so be sure to mark your calendars.

The next Social Streets event will happen at Hunter Park in the Alice Brown Neighbourhood. This will be one of the first City events in this part of our community in a long time.

Date: Wednesday, August 27th
Location: Hunter Park
Time: 3pm to 8pm

The Social Streets event after that will take place at Rotary Centennial Park.

Date: Wednesday, September 3rd
Location: Rotary Centennial Park
Time: 2pm to 8pm

I look forward to seeing you at your neighbourhood event!

Langley City’s Crime Severity Index and Total Crime Rate at Lowest Level in Over 25 Years

Recently, Statistics Canada released its latest annual Crime Severity Index and Crime Statistics, which cover the period up to 2024. Langley City’s overall crime rate and Crime Severity Index are at their lowest levels since 1998, the earliest year available on the Statistics Canada website. The following chart shows the overall and violent crime rates over the last decade for Langley City.

Within the overall crime rate is the violent crime rate. Langley City’s lowest violent crime rate occurred in 2014, with a rate of 1,439.85. It was trending up, but is now trending down. Violent crime means crimes against a person, which include incidents such as bar fights and threatening people to murder.

The crime rate is determined by the actual number of police reported incidents per 100,000 population.

The Crime Severity Index can be considered an improvement over raw crime rates, as it takes into account both the volume and seriousness of crimes. One homicide would impact the Crime Severity Index of a community 1,000 times more than one instance of “causing a disturbance,” for example. Statistics Canada determines the weighting for each type of crime based on the length of convictions people receive. The Crime Severity Index is calculated on a per capita basis. The following chart shows the Crime Severity Index over the last decade for Langley City.

Between 2015 and 2022, there was a data entry issue where a large number of “Making, or distribution of child pornography” incidents were misidentified as coming from Langley City. This error was corrected in the 2023 data going forward.

Langley City participated with other western Canadian municipalities to change how the Crime Severity Index data is reported. You can read more about this on a previous blog post and on a press release on Langley City’s website. The short of it is that crime rates and Crime Severity Index data should not be used to rank municipalities against one another, as it is an incorrect use of this data. Crime Rates and the Crime Severity Index are useful to understand trends within a municipality or jurisdiction.

July 21 Council Notes: One-Way Update, Housing, and School Sites

July 21 was the last Langley City Council meeting before Council takes a break for the month of August. Our next Council meeting will be on September 8th. In previous posts, I wrote about the 200th Street watermain project that Council approved a tender for, and Langley City’s on-street parking and public parking lot management strategy. Today I’ll post about the remaining items addressed at the meeting.

David Pollock, who is the Director of Engineering, Parks, & Environment, provided a brief update on the Fraser Highway One-Way Project. The project remains on time and on budget. The new sidewalks and first layer of asphalt will be completed before August 16, which is when the Arts Alive Festival takes place. At this point, people will be able to walk, roll, drive, and park on the one-way.

The second (and final) layer of asphalt will be applied at the end of August. Street trees and street furniture (chairs and tables) will be installed in the first few weeks of September.

Council also gave final reading for rezoning the property at 20256-20272 54A Avenue and issued a development permit for a 6-storey 114-unit apartment building. You can read more about this building in a previous post.

Finally, Council approved the Langley School District’s Eligible School Sites proposal. This is a rolling 5-year plan that outlines where the District plans to allocate the School Site Acquisition Charge, a $600-$1000 development charge applied to each new unit of housing in the City and Township. The District submits an updated proposal annually.

The District estimates that, over the next decade, approximately 900 new student spaces will be required in Langley City and 6,300 for the Township. The current plan for the City is to accommodate these students in expanded existing schools, as well as in expanded school and new school sites within the Township. As such, the School Site Acquisition Charge collected in the City and Township will be used to acquire new sites in the Township.

The City and School District are working together on identifying a potential future school site within the City that may be necessary after the arrival of SkyTrain. Council approved the Eligible School Sites proposal.

Parking in Downtown Langley City and North of the Nicomekl: More Options (2-Hour, 4-Hour, All-Day) in Downtown. Better Wayfinding. Residential Permit Parking.

This is the final post in my three-part series about Langley City’s on-street parking and public parking lot management strategy. Part one discussed the public feedback received regarding parking, and part two examined parking demand by block and street. Today’s post examines proposed actions to help manage parking north of the Nickomekl River and in our Downtown.

In our Downtown, based on feedback and parking demand, we need to shift longer-term parking from high-demand areas, such as on-street parking along the Fraser Highway One-Way, to areas with extra supply, like the City-owned parking lots around the Fraser Highway One-Way.

The following map illustrates the proposed changes to parking times, with shorter 2-hour parking on most streets and 4-hour parking in public parking lots.

Proposed changes to the on-street and public parking lots time limits. Select the map to enlarge.

The proposed changes also include rolling out shorter-term parking/loading spaces (30 minutes or less).

Langley City currently provides a limited number of reserved monthly parking spaces for rent in our public parking lots. The proposed changes include expanding the number of these spaces for people who work in our Downtown.

In the future, the City may consider implementing paid parking in high-demand areas to help manage parking turnover, if needed, once SkyTrain is operational. Paid downtown on-street parking isn’t proposed for implementation at this time. The City will explore securing on-site public parking as part of redevelopment projects near our two SkyTrian stations.

Finding our public parking lots is a challenge even for locals, so one of the big moves will be to develop and implement better public parking wayfinding.

For areas outside of our Downtown, north of the Nickomekl River, the City is exploring on-street permit parking in high-demand locations to help ensure that people can fairly share limited on-street parking spaces. Consultation will take place with the community regarding residential permit parking this fall.

To help ensure that people park appropriately, the City will also modernize its parking enforcement. An example includes implementing automated license plate readers for bylaw staff.

Parking in Downtown Langley City and North of the Nicomekl: Street By Street Peak Utilization

This is part two of a three-part series about Langley City’s on-street parking and public parking lot management strategy for areas north of the Nicomekl River. Part one examined the feedback the City received about people’s parking experiences and highlighted key findings from that feedback. This post focuses on parking utilization rates by block or corridor in our downtown and primarily residential areas north of the Nicomekl River.

We all recognize that land is valuable and that on-street parking must be balanced with other uses, such as loading zones, fire safety, streetside patios, and transit lanes. The golden rule for effective on-street parking is to maintain a utilization rate of around 85%. This means in each block, there should be one or two free spots, which prevents people from having to circle around. This 85% metric originates from the extensive research of the late Donald Shoup, as outlined in his seminal book, “The High Cost of Free Parking.”

The following map shows the typical peak parking utilization rate in Downtown Langley City.

Map showing typical weekday peak parking demand in Downtown Langley City. Select the map to enlarge.

The key finding for Downtown Langley City is that there is sufficient parking availability, both on-street and in public parking lots, but there is excessive demand in specific areas. For example, the Fraser Highway One-way section has excessive demand for on-street parking, even while the free public parking lots at City Hall and on the east end of the One-way have sufficient capacity.

The following map shows the typical peak parking demand for areas outside of Downtown Langley City, but north of the Nicomekl River.

Map showing typical peak evening demand in neighborhoods north of the Nicomekl River, excluding Downtown. Select the map to enlarge.

My key observation is that neighborhoods with a significant amount of townhouses that have fully enclosed parking tend to have higher on-street parking demand, including my own neighborhood (I live on the very west side of 55A Avenue). Anniodately, I see some of my neighbourhood's garages mostly filled with everything but a vehicle. When I lived in an apartment, parking was actively managed to ensure that only vehicles were in assigned parking spots.

Based on the feedback people provided and the observed parking utilization rates, the parking study team is proposing a set of draft recommendations, which I will share in part three of this series.

As a note, the maps show the times of day/day of the week with the highest typical demand.

Parking in Downtown Langley City and North of the Nicomekl: What We Heard.

With population growth, the arrival of SkyTrain, and thriving commercial areas, Langley City is developing an on-street and public lot parking management strategy for areas north of the Nicomekl River, with a focus on the Downtown Area.

Over the last year, the strategy development team has been gathering data, including on-street parking utilization rates and community feedback. Based on the data and feedback, they have developed a draft set of recommendations, which will be further refined over the coming months. However, before I get to the recommendations, I would like to share some of the feedback the team received.

In Langley City’s downtown area, there are two key findings that I would like to highlight. The first finding is that people who are not local to Langley City (approximately one-third of those who park downtown) are more likely to be dissatisfied with their parking experience.

Parking satisfaction among downtown parkers by typical parking duration and place of residence. Select chart to enlarge.

While parking dissatisfaction rates are low, they increase to 40% for individuals who want to park for more than six hours. This makes a lot of sense, as the City currently has only 3 hours of time-limited on-street parking and limited monthly public paid parking in our downtown area.

Parking satisfaction among downtown parkers by typical parking duration. Select image to enlarge.

Some of the top recommendations from the feedback the project team received included providing more dedicated medium- and long-term parking options (greater than three hours) in the downtown area and improving parking wayfinding, including to City-owned parking lots.

Looking at residential parking north of the Nicomekl River, on-street parking dissatisfaction rates are low; however, they increase for households with two or more vehicles.

Parking satisfaction in residential areas among residents by vehicle ownership. Select image to enlarge.

Tomorrow, I will continue posting about Langley City’s parking management strategy, looking at overall parking utilization rates.

Working on the Basics: $3 Million 200th Street Watermain Replacement

On Monday evening, Langley City Council approved a $2.97 million tender for Hyland Excavating Ltd. to replace the watermain under 200th Street between 44th Avenue and 50th Avenue. Council also approved a $105,800 tender for ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. to manage the construction of the project.

The project has a $315,000 contingency, as even with the best planning, unexpected issues can be discovered during the excavation of old roads.

Map showing the watermain replacement project’s location. Select the map to enlarge.

As part of replacing the end-of-life watermain, the project will include upsizing the pipe to accommodate future growth. To pay for the upsizing, approximately 10% of the project's funding is from development cost charges. These charges are levied on development projects in the City.

The road will be patched up after this project, but not fully repaved this year as BC Hydro will be installing new underground ducting along 200th Street in early 2026. After the BC Hydro project is complete, the road will be fully repaved.

BC Electricity Grid Ready for Heat Pumps and EVs

Last week, I posted that people can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower costs by renovating existing buildings to install energy efficiency solutions, such as electric heat pumps.

Sometimes you might hear that the BC’s electricity grid doesn’t have the capacity to support the full electrification of building systems and the switch over to EVs. SFU’s Centre for Dialogue project, Clean Energy Canada, has set out to dispel some of the myths about the clean energy transition and our ability to meet demand in BC.

Myth 1: BC has an electricity shortfall now and into the future.
Fact 1: Between 2021 and 2030, electricity demand is expected to increase by 15%, while new clean energy supply is projected to increase by 27%, resulting in a faster increase in supply than demand.

Myth 2: Importing electricity means BC has not adequately planned for energy needs.
Fact 2: BC is a net exporter of electricity, and BC Hydro is not seeing a trend in the long-term drying of hydro reservoirs.

Myth 3: Climate policies will overload the grid (such as the switch to EVs)
Fact 3: BC’s current and upcoming supply increases will meet demand. In fact, switching current baseboard electric heat to heat pumps will reduce electricity demand by 5%.

In the last little while, it might seem like it is harder than ever to move towards a clean energy future, but the facts are that it has never been easier or more possible. For more information, please visit the Clean Energy Canada website.

Langley City Business Success Program Survey

Langley City recently launched “Let’s Chat, Langley City!”, its online engagement platform. You can sign up to stay up to date on projects and initiatives in the city, including opportunities to provide feedback.

Langley City is looking at ways to support businesses, whether in our Downtown, along the bypass, or in our industrial areas. Some examples might include simplifying permitting or streamlining business licensing requirements.

If you own a business in Langley City, the city wants to hear from you. Langley City’s first “Langley City Business Success Program” survey is online until September 1st.

I know there are many demands on business owners’ time. This survey will take about 5 minutes to complete and will help shape how Langley City will support businesses.

Metro Vancouver's Five R's - Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover

The Metro Vancouver region has some of the highest recycling rates in the country, and we are doing a good job of diverting materials from disposal via landfill or incineration. The overall materials we recycle, compost, or dispose of have remained relatively flat per capita.

Growing up, I heard the phrase reduce, reuse, recycle. I think we've nailed the recycling part, but there is work to do with reducing and reusing. Metro Vancouver has come up with some other words, rethink and recover.

Recycling and composting still require energy, space, and infrastructure, so the fewer overall products that require recycling or composting, the more money and resources we can save as a region.

Using drinking water and a refillable container is a simple way to reduce waste.

With this in mind, the Metro Vancouver District is looking to update its solid waste management plan with the following hierarchical goals based on feedback it has received. Number one is the top focus, and six is the last resort.

1. Enable circular systems that preserve resources (Rethink) - Designing products and processes that prevent waste creation in the first place.
2. Minimize waste generation (Reduce) - Designing products and processes that reduce waste as an output, such as reducing packaging.
3. Keep materials in use as long as possible (Reuse) - Designing products and processes that make it easy to repair and have longer lives (implementing right-to-repair laws).
4. Make it easier to recycle effectively (Recycle) - Ensure that end-of-life items are designed for easy recycling into new products or composted.
5. Recover resources from non-recyclable materials (Recover) - Maximize energy recovery and resource extraction such as metals from non-recyclable items.
6. Dispose only as a last resort - Materials burned or landfilled.

With these goals, the Regional District hopes to move forward with an updated solid waste management plan.

Slow Down in New Housing Projects

Since I was first elected to Langley City Council in 2016, there has been a steady stream of housing projects, and the number of projects has been ramping up over the years. This year, I’ve noticed a decline in new projects.

While many housing projects are still under construction, new submissions have stalled. Langley City has an Advisory Design Panel, which includes experts and regular community members who provide feedback on proposed development projects. Last year, this committee reviewed about a dozen housing projects. This year, the committee has reviewed five projects to date. You might think that the number of projects seems to be tracking the same as last year, but there are a few things to consider.

For one project, the applicant decided to cancel the project. Another project was the B.C. Builds projects, funded with the help of the provincial government, low-cost land from the City, and a church providing land. The last time the Advisory Design Panel met was in April.

I heard from elected folks in other Metro Vancouver communities that new housing projects have also slowed down in their communities.

A recent report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation found that we need to double the amount of new housing built annually to restore affordability to the Canadian housing market.

The federal government has recently reduced immigration numbers. Many people thought this would allow the housing supply to “catch up.” If new housing construction is also slowing down, we may not see this “catch-up.”

Talking to home builder, they say financing costs, material and labour costs, and even the fees local government charges (which are needed) puts the price of housing above what the market can bear. These costs mean that projects are simply not moving forward.

So, what are the solutions? A few ideas come to mind that are easy to say but require more effort to implement.

The government must expand financing programs that provide low—or no-interest loans, such as the current Apartment Construction Loan Program. Modernizing construction, such as with modular housing, to reduce costs and speed up the timeline is more challenging but necessary.

While the federal government is now doing more to manage the demand for housing, we still need to “catch up” to deliver more affordable housing.

Building Emissions Rising in Metro Vancouver

The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently published a report on building emissions focusing on greenhouse gases. Buildings are the second largest source of GHG emissions in our region. It found that while per capita emissions are slightly declining, actual emissions are rising.

GHG and Nitrogen Oxide Emissions by Building Type. 2010 through 2022. Source: Metro Vancouver 2022 Emissions Inventory.

Between 2010 and 2022, GHG emissions from residential buildings increased by 11.5% and from commercial buildings by 20.7%. Nitrogen oxide, which harms human health, has also been increasing. Using conventional natural gas for heating and hot water is the primary driver of building GHG emissions.

We must move from conventional natural gas to renewable natural gas and fully electric heating and hot water systems. Of course, this must be done while maintaining affordability.

I've discussed this in the past for detached and strata housing; energy-efficient retrofit programs are needed to help reduce emissions and save people money. Modern buildings are significantly more energy efficient than older buildings, but over 2/3rds of housing units in our region were built in the 20th century.

Retrofitting these buildings, such as installing electric heat pumps for heating and hot water, will help reduce GHG emissions. There are some rebate programs, but commercial and strata buildings can fall through the cracks of these programs, leaving out a huge section of our building inventory. For example, 61% of housing units in Langley City are apartments.

While newer buildings become more efficient and have lower emissions, more work needs to be done to help homeowners, stratas, and commercial building owners reduce their buildings' emissions.

Working on the Basics: $3m Sewer Replacement Program

On Monday, Langley City Council awarded PW Trenchless Construction Inc. a tender for $2.98 million to complete several sanitary sewer projects throughout the community.

The following map shows the locations of the projects, including replacing the sewer line along 198th Street between 53rd and 56th Avenue.

Location of Sewer Project. Select the Map to Enlarge.

The sewer pipes will be renewed using “pipe busting.” This process involves running a new pipe through an older pipe, helping minimize the disruption on the street.

The project also includes an additional $156,180 awarded to Binnie & Associates Ltd. to help manage it. The project has a $315,000 contingency in case of unforeseen issues. In an older community like Langley City, even with the best planning, unexpected things can happen when working underground.

July 7 Council Notes: $27,000 Donation Received for Oneway Project, RCMP Update, New Waste Collection Program

On Monday, Langley City Council received our quarterly RCMP update from the Officer in Charge of the Langley Detachment Superintendent Dosange. He provided a brief overview of some of the policing initiatives they are working on in the City over the summer, including working with the BC Lions, where youth will train with CFL players to compete in a tournament later this month. The first event was at HD Stafford and helped get young people who live in both the City and Township engaged in positive activity.

You'll also see the police on bikes in our parks and trails over the summer. One of the major police concerns is people using e-scooters (both kick scooters and ones that look like mopeds) unsafely. The police are launching an education campaign around these mobility devices, including positive reinforcement and partnering with 7-Eleven to give out free coupons.

The police continue to partner with bylaws, including for trespassing matters. They will also ramp up the promotion of the Block Watch program in partnership with the City's Crime Prevention Committee.

On the crime stats, Dosange noted that things are stable in the City, though he did note an increase in auto theft, which he believes will be reduced shortly. A handful of people cause most criminal activity; once arrested, the crime will drop significantly. These people are also known as prolific offenders.

Later in the meeting, the Langley Foundation presented a $27,000 cheque to Langley City to purchase trees and street furniture for the Fraser Oneway project. The Langley Foundation is a local charity that supports improving pedestrian paths and trails, preserving and illuminating history, and enhancing green spaces. This generous donation will help offset some of the cost of the Oneway project.

Council also received an update on the rollout of the new waste collection program for people in detached houses and non-strata townhouses. City contractors are delivering bins this month, and the new collection system starts August 1st. More information is available on the City's website.

City staff presented to Council some proposed updates to our minute-taking policy to align with best practices. Council also updated who on Langley City staff attends the E-Comm Annual General Meeting as voting members on behalf of the City. E-Comm is a local government-owned organization that provides 911 and first responder radio services.

Langley City's Rolling 2026 - 2031 Strategic Plan

Every year, Langley City Council updates its strategic priorities plan. This plan outlines the City's mission, values, and core focus areas over the next five years. It also includes specific actions that Council would like to take. This plan is meant to be a living document as priorities may change and the City completes specific actions.

There are five top priorities for 2026, which layer onto the current work the City is doing within the strategic priorities plan.

Redevelop 20411 Fraser Highway: Partner with a developer to create a new mixed-use building that will include market and non-market homes at the entrance to the Fraser Highway Oneway.

Create a Standards of Maintenance Bylaw: A standard of maintenance bylaw sets the safety and quality standards that residential and commercial landlord must achieve on their properties.

Tenant Relocation Plans Policy: Last summer, Langley City Council approved a new tenant relocation policy, which set tenant compensation, relocation support, and the ability to return to a building after a redevelopment at a discounted rate. Council would like to see further refinements to the policy.

Amenity Cost Charges (ACC) Bylaw: The provincial government introduced ACCs to replace voluntary Community Amenity Contributions from developers. Local governments can use ACCs to fund infrastructure, including municipal buildings such as fire halls and recreation centres, that are required due to growth.

Develop Long-term Staffing Plan: As our community is growing and needs change, to continue to meet the needs of residents, businesses, and Council, the City will hire external support to develop a staffing plan.

The plan also has additional new initiatives that the City may take action on over the next year if time and resources are available. The City will continue to action on existing priorities that are in progress, such as the Innovation District strategy in partnership with KPU.

You can learn more by reading the plan.

McLellan Substation and Brydon Lagoon Impacts

As you may know, BC Hydro is upgrading and expanding the McLellan Substation just west of Brydon Lagoon in Surrey. As part of the upgrade, BC Hydro will be removing a significant number of trees on their property. While this project is entirely within Surrey, it will impact Brydon Lagoon. As such, Langley City staff, as well as Langley community organizations such as the Langley Field Naturalists, have been talking to BC Hydro to find ways to minimize the impacts.

I wanted to share the latest map showing the tree-clearing area and where BC Hydro will retain trees.

Map that shows McLellan Substation upgrade area, including tree removal and retention areas. Select the map to enlarge.

As you can see, BC Hydro's current plan is to retain the section of trees (550 m2) on the southeast part of their property and a two- to six-metre buffer on the east edge of their property line.

I also understand that BC Hydro plans to do further landscaping and natural restoration after they complete the substation expansion.

More information about this project is available on their website, including information about how to reach out to BC Hydro.